To Brand or not to Brand: A Simple 4-step Guide to Branding in Today’s Times.

Social media has been the most powerful platform since the past decade. Back then no one probably thought

how much of an effect it would have on products and services, but here we are now. Branding however, goes way back. No seriously, way back to the Babylonian times. Pretty cool, isn't it?

Unfortunately, branding has taken a bad turn over the few years. Now, people usually roll eyes when they see a company trying to get their customers attention. One reason to this phenomenon is how companies have become so engrossed in just selling their products or services to customers, knowingly or unknowingly making their brand-identity sound similar to all the other companies in the competition. In this 2012 study, it was found that 92% people trust recommendations from individuals rather than a brand. But 2012 was a good 4 years back. Times have now dramatically changed, for good if you are constantly willing to try new things, for worse if you choose to remain rigid and true to the way your forefather conducted their business.

Understandably a statistic like this would bring about some concerns you might have brushed under the carpet earlier regarding your brand strategy, which is actually a good thing. It is however, not too late for you to bring about some changes and spice up the brand narrative of your business.

First off, you as a business owner need to have this clear understanding: Branding does not make you sound needy; *if done the right way. * Your branding should be parallel to your business narrative and to what makes you different than the rest. If you don't know what makes your business different, we have bad news for you. But, the good news is that it's never too late to start and bring about a change. Here is a list of some unconventional ways to add that extra dose of color that will make your business stand-out amongst the monotones of your competitors:

1. Having a logo does not mean you have a Brand: Confused? Let's explain this topic. Branding and having a logo are confused as one-in-the-same thing. The truth is, the logo is a component of branding, not the definition of branding. To have a successful brand-strategy, you need to establish your brand to highlight your business narrative, not to over-shadow it or change it completely. A logo is how your brand communicates with your clientele on a visual basis.

Here are some ways your logo can depict your business' narrative:

• COLOR: Color plays a huge role in your logos. (Find out how in our previous blog-post.

• DESIGN: The complexity of your logo or the simplicity of it is translated by people as the mechanism of your business.

• RELEVANCE: If your logo is not relevant to your business narrative, you lose potential clients.

• MEMORABLE: Your logo should stick in your client's head the moment they see it.

• LONGEVITY: Your logo should be applicable to the times meaning, don't turn it into a series of Keeping up with the Logo Design. Doing so will cause you to lose your identity amongst your clientele.

2.  Word of Mouth can be done over the Internet too: Yes, we agree that your brand can substantially increase by having a few people talk well about your product. We are not denying that at all. All we are saying that in the times of social media's strong grip over almost everything, your wait time of the conventional hear-say about your business can be cut down into half. Word of Mouth does not mean you have to have your little ninja-agents out in the market to be able to tell people and inform them about your brand. Instead, what it has come to become is you send out your products and services to game-changers on the social media platforms and if they like it, they can run an ad for you. This way, you get to do both, advertising and spreading your business by word of mouth. Keep your eye on the next BluEnt Bytes, where we will discuss this topic in great detail.

3.  Bust the Myth-Small Businesses do not need a Brand Identity: A brand identity is the very soul of your business. What makes the brand different than your business narrative is the versatility it has. A brand can constantly mold itself according to the latest trends in the market, but your business narrative cannot do the same. If your business narrative keeps changing, it gives birth to doubt and distrust amongst your clientele and we are sure you do not want that. Unless you want to keep your small business small, you do need yourself a good brand identity. A brand identity gives you the opportunity to be able to interact with your clientele in a much more fun and social way. If you do not create a brand identity for yourself, people might not even be interested in your business since you will seem to be incompetent, sketchy and lazy. And we know you definitely do not want to be identified that way. If you think that you would want to improve your brand-identity, you should come through. The grass is greener on BluEnt's side, or maybe, bluer, which is cooler. Hey, that rhymed.

4. Don't talk in circles: A clear, defined message is what your clients want. In recent times, people have been too over-saturated with the whole talking in circles phase. When a potential client sees that pattern, it will ward them off. Your brand's message should be clear, precise and to the point. We know how hard that can be, not being sure if you're putting in everything about your business in there, or is the message catchy enough yada-yada. We get it. And that is why we're going to give you a tip. Think of constructing your brand message as if it was a news headline. No more than 6-7 words. Fit in your entire business narrative into those 6-7 words. Once you find out a way to do that, you can definitely churn out a brand message in a short and effective manner. Voila! You have your brand message. *Bows Down*

There is a fine line between branding and imposing your business. Do not cross it. If you still feel like you might be walking on the tight-rope with that one, contact us right now and we can save you from the circus.

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